Skew-tolerant gray code for a moveable object

ABSTRACT

A position of a moveable object may be encoded and indicated by a skew-tolerant Gray code on the object. Skew-tolerant Gray codes have the property that consecutive code words differ in only one co-ordinate position, and the additional property that, in each consecutive group of three consecutive code words, the first and third code words differ in only two adjacent coordinate positions.

This application contains subject matter related to co-pending patentapplication Ser. No. ______, for “SKEW-TOLERANT GRAY CODES”, which wasfiled on ______, the same day as this patent application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A Gray code is a set of 2^(n) distinct code words, essentially binarynumbers, each having n bits. Each bit position of a code word is calleda co-ordinate position. Since code words may be digital numbers, eachcoordinate position may also be called a bit position. Gray codes havethe property that consecutive code words differ in only one co-ordinateposition. A Gray code is characterized by a transition or code sequence,an ordered list of bit positions manifesting the co-ordinate positionwhose value changes from one code word to an adjacent code word. A codesequence may be embodied in a code table having rows wherein a row isoccupied by a code word having a position in the table corresponding tothe position of the code word occupying it in the code sequence.

Gray codes are used to encode the positions of moveable objects such asmagnetic disks, optical disks, shafts, periscopes, and so on. (It shouldbe noted that the position of an object is different and distinct fromthe co-ordinate position of a bit in a code word.) Such a moveableobject has a Gray code placed upon it in a discernible form, usually asa sequence of marks that extends in the direction in which the objectmoves. Each position of the object in the direction of motion has a setof marks that form a code word. The successive positions are marked withthe code sequence. As the object moves, successive positions areidentified by reading and decoding successive sets of marks. The set ofmarks for any position differs from the set of marks in an adjacentposition only by the value of marks in one co-ordinate position. Graycoding is favored for positional encoding because of the ease, speed andaccuracy with which the code words of adjacent positions can be decoded.

A sensor in a system that signals the position of a moveable object witha Gray code includes an array of sensor elements positioned over asurface of the object at which the marks can be read. As the objectmoves, the sensor discerns the marks at each position and converts thediscerned marks to digital electronic form. The form of the marks andthe type of sensor used to sense them are selected to be appropriate tothe construction of the moveable object. The marks may be magneticdomains, pits, bumps, conductive contacts, colored spaces, and so on.The sensors may be magnetic read heads, optical read heads,magneto-optical read heads, conductive contacts, and so on.

When a sensor is aligned precisely with a coded position, it willfaithfully sense the code word at that position. However, at high speedsand high resolutions, it is increasingly possible for a sensor to becalled on to operate when it straddles adjacent code words. In such acase, the uncertainty of the result is limited to the co-ordinateposition in which the adjacent code words differ. However, the Gray codeproperty that adjacent code words will differ in only one bit positionis sufficient to guarantee accurate decoding, particularly assupplemental means may be employed to resolve the uncertainty.Nevertheless, as the speeds of Gray-coded objects increase, along withthe resolutions required for high precision position detection, problemsof sensing accurately become more acute. If a sensor is skewed withrespect to the code words, there is the possibility that it may straddlethree or more code words. The Gray code property that adjacent codewords will differ in only one bit position is insufficient to guaranteereliable decoding of a sensor signal containing contributions from morethan two adjacent positions. A significant enhancement of Gray codeaccuracy would be realized with the addition of a property that enableda Gray code to tolerate the skew of a sensor over three or more adjacentcode words.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A skew-tolerant Gray code preserves the property that a only a singleco-ordinate position changes value between any two adjacent code wordsand also adds the property that only two neighboring co-ordinatepositions change value between the first and third code words of anygroup of three successive code words in the code sequence. Thisadditional property ensures that, in the event a Gray code sequence issensed in a skewed fashion, the code word can still be decoded reliably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a combination for sensing and decoding a code wordon a Gray-encoded moveable object in which the sensor is skewed withrespect to a code pattern on the object; FIG. 1B illustrates a sensorskewed with respect to a Gray-coded pattern.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of a disk drive.

FIG. 2A illustrates a portion of a track on a disk; FIG. 2B is anexpanded view of a servo sector.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of servo electronics.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a Gray-coded quad-burst servo pattern.

FIG. 5A is a table containing a code sequence embodying a two-bitskew-tolerant Gray code; FIG. 5B is a table containing a code sequenceembodying a four-bit skew-tolerant Gray code.

FIG. 6A is a table illustrating an extension of the two-bitskew-tolerant Gray code of FIG. 5 to a four-bit skew-tolerant Gray code;FIG. 6B is a table containing a code sequence embodying the four-bitskew-tolerant Gray code resulting from the process illustrated in FIG.6A.

FIG. 7 is a table illustrating the size of skew-tolerant Gray codesgenerated according to the process illustrated in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a read back signal produced by a read headstraddling two code words.

FIG. 9A is an illustration of a read back signal produced by a skewedread head sensing a skew-intolerant Gray code; FIG. 9B is anillustration of a read back signal produced by a skewed read headsensing a skew-tolerant Gray code.

FIG. 10A is a flow chart illustrating recursive generation of a codesequence C(n) for an n-bit skew tolerant Gray code; FIG. 10B is a flowchart illustrating computation of the length of the skew-tolerant Graycode sequence C(n); FIG. 10C is a flow chart illustrating encoding asingle code word C_(m)(n) in the skew-ray tolerant Gray code sequenceC(n): and FIG. 10D is a flow chart illustrating decoding c, a singlen-bit code word in a skew-tolerant Gray code sequence.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a decoder used to decode code words of anine-bit skew-tolerant Gray code.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating how the path of a sensor array acrossa skew-tolerant Gray-coded pattern is localized in two directions.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating how the region of FIG. 12 isfound.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In this description, principles and applications of skew-tolerant Graycodes are set forth. As will be appreciated, the code words of thesecodes are represented in by discernible marks or patterns of marks onmoveable objects, and also by digital numbers. Further, the use of suchcodes contemplates that the representative form of code words may havemultiple manifestations in any particular application. For example, acode sequence may be initially generated as a sequence of electronicdigital numbers, converted to magnetically discernible marks in one ormore tracks of a hard disk, and then read from the disk and decoded as asequence of electronic digital numbers. The scope of this description,and the claims which follow it, encompass all representative forms ofskew-tolerant Gray codes.

Refer to FIG. 1A, which illustrates a combination for sensing anddecoding the rotational position of a rotatable shaft 10 employing aGray code in an encoded shaft portion 12. An encoder 14 is employedinitially to generate a code word sequence which is fed, one code wordat a time to a code scribe device 16 that places marks corresponding toa code word in the encoded shaft portion 12. A code scribe device mayinclude, for example, an ink jet device or a magnetic write head. In thecase of the shaft 10, which is presented only to illustrate thisdiscussion, the Gray code is mapped to a pattern of light and dark bands17 in the encoded shaft portion 12. Each code word represents aparticular angular position of the shaft. In this respect, theskew-tolerant Gray code encodes the shaft's angular positions. As theshaft 10 rotates, the pattern is read by a sensor 18 consisting of alinear array of optical sensor elements. The sensor 18 is connected to aregister 20 into which a sequence of code words is stored. The code wordcurrently in the register 20 is provided as an input to a decoder 22.The decoder 22 converts the code word into a parameter p having a valuethat is, or that corresponds to, the row of a skew-tolerant Gray codesequence where the code word is positioned. In this example, p indexesto the rows of a table 24 where values of angular positions of the shaft10 are stored, with each angular position value stored in a row of thetable corresponding to the skew-tolerant Gray code word at that positionon the shaft. When the sensor 18 is properly aligned with the Gray codedpattern, the pattern is faithfully decoded by the decoder 20. However,if, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, the sensor 18 is skewed with respect tothe Gray-coded pattern, then the sensed code word will contain bitsdrawn from two or more neighboring code words. A skew-tolerant Gray codeensures that, provided the sensor 18 is skewed so that the number ofcode words spanned is fewer than the number of bits spanned, the decodedcode word will be one of the code words spanned by the sensor 18.

In the discussion following, an n-bit binary Gray code C^(n) is anordered set of all 2^(n) binary strings of length n, c₀ through c₂ _(n)⁻¹. Each of these strings is called a code word. The special property ofthis ordering is that the Hamming distance between consecutive codewords c_(k) through c_(2k+1) is always exactly 1. That is to say,consecutive code words differ in exactly one coordinate position. ManyGray codes are also cyclic in the sense that the first and last codewords differ in exactly one coordinate position.

Gray codes can be constructed inductively by the so called reflectiveconstruction. Given an n-bit binary Gray code C^(n) one may construct ann+1 bit binary Gray code C^(n+1). The Gray code C^(n) is comprised ofcode words c₀ ^(n) through c_(N−1) ^(n) where N=2^(n). The first N codewords of C^(n+1) are formed by prepending a zero to each codeword ofC^(n). The last N code words of C^(n+1) are formed by prepending a oneto each codeword of C^(n) and reversing the ordering. Thus$c_{n + 1}^{k} = \left\{ \begin{matrix}\left\lbrack {0,c_{n}^{k}} \right\rbrack & {0 \leq k < N} \\\left\lbrack {0,c_{n}^{{2N} - k - 1}} \right\rbrack & {N \leq k < {2N}}\end{matrix} \right.$The recursion can be started with a 1 bit Gray code comprised of 0 and1.

Skew-tolerant Gray codes (STGC) have the property that adjacent pairs ofcode words differ in exactly one coordinate position (like Gray codeswhich are not skew-tolerant) and the additional property that contiguoustriples of code words differ in two adjacent coordinate positions. Thismeans that as a code sequence is traversed from codeword to codewordwithin a STGC, the bits that are flipping are always close to eachother.

Skew-tolerant Gray codes can also be constructed inductively using amodified reflective construction. Given an n-bit binary skew-tolerantGray code C^(n) one may construct a n+2 bit binary skew-tolerant Graycode C^(n+2). The skew-tolerant Gray code C^(n) is comprised of codewords c^(n) ₀ through c^(n) _(N−1), where N is less than or equal to2^(n), such that the leftmost bit changes between c^(n) ₀ and c^(n) ₁.The largest value M is found such that the rightmost bit changes betweenc^(n) _(M−2) and c^(n) _(M−1). The 4M code words of C^(n+2) are formedby extending the first M code words of C^(n) by a single bit at eachend, with reversals in the order of the code words of C^(n) as required.Thus: $x_{k}^{n + 2} = \left\{ \begin{matrix}{\left\lbrack {0,\quad c_{k}^{n},\quad 0} \right\rbrack,} & {0 < k \leq M} \\{\left\lbrack {0,c_{M - k + 1}^{n},1} \right\rbrack,} & {M < k \leq {2M}} \\{\left\lbrack {1,\quad c_{k}^{n},\quad 1} \right\rbrack,} & {{2M} < k \leq {3M}} \\{\left\lbrack {1,c_{M - k + 1}^{n},0} \right\rbrack,} & {{3M} < k \leq {4M}}\end{matrix} \right.$The last step if the code construction is to apply a cyclic shift to therows of the extended code X such that in the shifted code C^(n+2) theleftmost bit changes between c^(n+2) ₀ and c^(n+2) ₁. A useful algorithmfor generating skew-tolerant Gray codes is given later.

Industrial Application

An industrial application of skew-tolerant Gray codes is found in datastorage. The following description, which sets forth this application indetail, relates generally to systems in which an encoded pattern ofmarks are read electronically and decoded to measure the relativeposition of the read transducer and the pattern of marks. In particularthis industrial application relates to magnetic recording hard diskdrives, and to pre-recorded servo patterns and servo positioning systemsto locate and maintain the read/write heads on the data tracks.

Magnetic recording hard disk drives use a servo-mechanical positioningsystem to hold the read/write head on the desired data track and to seekfrom track to track as required to perform read and write operations.Special “servo” patterns are written in circumferentially spaced sectorsin each of the concentric data tracks on each disk surface. Thesepatterns are constructed so that the read-back signal from a magneticread head, as it passes over these patterns, can be decoded to yield theradial position of the head. The servo patterns are written onto thedisk during manufacturing in a process known as servowriting.

The radial position of the head is represented as an integer part; thetrack number, and a fractional part; the position error signal. Theseparts are usually encoded separately with the track number, recorded inthe track ID or TID field and the position error signal recorded in thePES field. The integer track number is represented as a string of binarybits using a Gray code.

When the head is positioned directly over a track, the head produces aread-back signal which is demodulated to obtain the track number of thattrack. When the head straddles two tracks the read-back signal containssignals from both tracks under the head. The Gray code property ensuresthat the patterns representing the track numbers of both tracks underthe head are the same in all but a single bit position. Thus theread-back signal can be demodulated to obtain all but one of the bits ofthe track number pattern. The one bit which differs between the twopatterns may be ambiguous, however this ambiguity can be resolved usingthe fractional head position information contained in the position errorsignal.

When the head is moving quickly in the radial direction the head maytraverse more than one track as it crosses the TID field. With eachsuccessive generation of hard disk drives the track pitch decreases, thelength of the TID field decreases, while the peak seek velocity remainsthe same or increases slightly. These factors combine to increase thelikelihood that the read-back signal from the TID field will containcontributions from three or more tracks. While the properties of theGray code ensure that a read-back signal containing contributions fromthe TID fields of two adjacent tracks can be decoded reliably, the Graycode property is not sufficient to guarantee reliable decoding of aread-back signal containing contributions from more than two adjacenttracks.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of a disk drive of the type usable with skewtolerant Gray codes. The disk drive depicted is one that is formattedusing a fixed-block “headerless” architecture with sector servo andzone-bit recording (ZBR). The disk drive, designated generally as 102,includes data recording disk 104, actuator arm 106, data recordingtransducer 108 (also called a recording head or read/write head), voicecoil motor 110, servo electronics 112, read/write electronics 113,interface electronics 114, controller electronics 115, microprocessor116, and RAM 117. The recording head 108 may be an inductive read/writehead or a combination of an inductive write head with amagneto-resistive read head. Typically, there are multiple disks stackedon a hub that is rotated by a disk motor, with a separate recording headassociated with each surface of each disk. Data recording disk 104 has acenter of rotation 111, and is divided for head positioning purposesinto a set of radially-spaced tracks, one of which is shown as track118. The tracks are grouped radially into a number of zones, three ofwhich are shown as zones 151, 152 and 153. The disk contains a pluralityof servo sectors 120, which extend across the tracks in a generallyradial direction. Each track has a reference index 121 indicating thestart of track. Within each zone, the tracks are also circumferentiallydivided into a number of data sectors 154 where user data is stored. Thedata sectors contain no data sector identification (ID) fields foruniquely identifying the data sectors so that the drive is considered tohave a “No-ID” brand of data architecture, which is also called a“headerless” data architecture. If the disk drive has multiple heads,then the set of tracks which are at the same radius on all disk datasurfaces is referred to as a “cylinder”.

Read/write electronics 113 receives signals from transducer 108, passesservo information from the servo sectors 120 to servo electronics 112,and passes data signals to controller electronics 115. Servo electronics112 uses the servo information to produce a current at 140 which drivesvoice coil motor 110 to position recording head 108. Interfaceelectronics 114 communicates with a host system (not shown) overinterface 162, passing data and command information. Interfaceelectronics 114 also communicates with controller electronics 115 overinterface 164. Microprocessor 116 communicates with the various otherdisk drive electronics over interface 170.

In the operation of disk drive 102, interface electronics 114 receives arequest for reading from or writing to data sectors 154 over interface162. Controller electronics 115 receives a list of requested datasectors from interface electronics 114 and converts them into zone,cylinder, head, and data sector numbers which uniquely identify thelocation of the desired data sectors. The head and cylinder informationare passed to servo electronics 112, which is responsible forpositioning recording head 108 over the appropriate data sector on theappropriate cylinder. If the cylinder number provided to servoelectronics 112 is not the same as the cylinder number over whichrecording head 108 is presently positioned, servo electronics 112 firstexecutes a seek operation to reposition recording head 108 over theappropriate cylinder.

Once servo electronics 112 has positioned recording head 108 over theappropriate cylinder, servo electronics 112 begins executing sectorcomputations to locate and identify the desired data sector. As servosectors 120 pass under recording head 108, the servo electronics 112operates to identify each servo sector. One illustrative way to identifyservo sectors is the headerless architecture method described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,615,190. In brief, a servo timing mark (STM) is used tolocate servo sectors, and a count of STMs from a servo sector containingan index mark 121 uniquely identifies each servo sector. Additionalinformation is maintained in association with servo electronics 112 andcontroller electronics 115 for controlling the read or writing of datain the data sectors.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, a portion of a typical track 118 on the disk104 is shown expanded. Four complete data sectors are shown (201, 202,203 and 204). Three representative servo sectors 210, 211, and 212 arealso shown. As can be seen from this example, some data sectors aresplit by servo sectors, and some data sectors do not start immediatelyfollowing a servo sector. For example, data sectors 202 and 204 aresplit by servo sectors 211 and 212, respectively. Data sector 202 issplit into data sections 221 and 222, and data sector 204 is split intodata sections 224 and 225. Data sector 203 starts immediately after theend of data sector 202, rather than immediately following a servosector. The index mark 121 indicates the beginning of the track and isshown contained in servo sector 210. FIG. 2B is an expanded view of oneof the servo sectors illustrated in FIG. 2A. Typically, each servosector contains an STM 306. The STM 306 serves as a timing reference forreading the subsequent servo information in track identification (TID)field 304 and position error signal (PES) field 305. The STM issometimes also referred to as a servo address mark or servo start mark.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the servo electronics 112. In operation,controller electronics 115 provides input to actuator position control404, which in turn provides a signal 140 to the actuator to position thehead. The controller electronics 115 uses the servo information readfrom the servo sectors to determine the input 428 to the actuatorposition control 404. The servo information is read by the read/writeelectronics 113 (FIG. 1B), and signals 166 are input to the servoelectronics 112. STM decoder 400 receives a clocked data stream 166 asinput from the read/write electronics 113, and a control input 430 fromthe controller electronics 115. Once an STM has been detected, an STMfound signal 420 is generated. The STM found signal 420 is used toadjust timing circuit 401, which controls the operating sequence for theremainder of the servo sector, and is also sent to controllerelectronics 115.

After detection of an STM, the track identification (TID) decoder 402receives timing information 422 from timing circuit 401, reads theclocked data stream 166, which is typically Gray-code encoded, and thenpasses the decoded TID information 424 to controller electronics 115.Subsequently, PES decode circuit 403 captures the PES signal fromread/write electronics 166, then passes position information 426 tocontroller electronics 115. Inputs to the PES decode circuit 403 aretypically analog, although they may be digital or of any other type. ThePES decode circuit 403 need not reside within the servo electronicsmodule 112.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a quad-burst servo pattern used in sector servosystems and shows a greatly simplified pattern for clarity with onlyfour tracks (shown with track centerlines 308, 309, 310 and 311). Thetwo possible magnetic states of the medium are indicated as black andwhite regions. In the case of all servo patterns the actual patternextends over hundreds of thousands of tracks from the disk ID to OD.

The servo pattern is comprised of four distinct fields: AGC field 302,STM field 306, Track ID field 304 and PES bursts A-D. The automatic gaincontrol (AGC) field 302 is a regular series of transitions and isnominally the same at all radial positions. The AGC field 302 allows theservo controller to calibrate timing and gain parameters for laterfields. The STM field 306 is the same at all radial positions. The STMpattern is chosen such that it does not occur elsewhere in the servopattern and does not occur in the data records. The STM is used tolocate the end of the AGC field and to help locate the servo patternwhen the disk drive is initialized. The TID field 304 contains the tracknumber, usually Gray-coded and stored in dibit encoded format. The TIDfield 304 determines the integer part of the radial position. Theposition error signal (PES) bursts A-D are used to determine thefractional part of the radial position. Each PES burst comprises aseries of regularly spaced transitions. The PES bursts are arrangedradially such that a burst of transitions are one track wide and twotracks apart, from center to center. PES bursts are offset from theirneighbors such that when the head is centered over an even-numberedtrack (e.g., track with center 310) the read-back signal from burst A ismaximized, the read-back signal from burst B is minimized and theread-back signal from bursts C and D are equal. As the head movesoff-track in one direction the read-back signal from burst C increasesand the read-back signal from burst D decreases until, with the headhalf-way between tracks the read-back signal from burst C is maximized,read-back signal from burst D is minimized and read-back signals frombursts A and B are equal. As the head continues to move in the samedirection the read-back signal from burst B increases and the read-backsignal from burst A decreases until, with the head centered over thenext track (with an odd track number, e.g. track with center 311) theread-back signal from burst B is maximized, the read-back signal fromburst A is minimized and the read-back from signals from bursts C and Dare again equal.

As set out above, skew-tolerant Gray codes are constructed recursively,starting with a short code and repeatedly extending the code to generatelonger and longer codes until the desired code length is obtained. FIG.5A tabulates the code word entries for the simplest code in this classof codes. In this disk drive application, each code in the class ofskew-tolerant Gray codes represents a mapping from a sequence of integertrack numbers to a sequence of binary strings. The FIG. 5A tableincludes major columns labeled Track Number and Binary Track ID. Asrequired only one bit in the binary string changes as we move from rowto row, furthermore in any set of three contiguous rows the two bitswhich change are neighbors. The code can be considered to be cyclic suchthat the last row in the table wraps around to the first row in thetable with the required properties preserved. Thus there exist a numberof equivalent codes differing only in that the mapping from Track Numberto Binary Track ID is cyclically shifted. For the purposes of simplenotation it is required that the leftmost bit of the Binary Track IDmust change between Track Number 0 and Track Number 1. Furthermore, aspecial group of rows is denoted at the bottom of the code table,indicated in gray, which are part of the code but which will bediscarded when extending the code. These rightmost bit changes betweenthe penultimate and ultimate rows of the main code table, in this casebetween rows 1 and 2.

FIG. 5B tabulates the code word entries for a three bit skew-tolerantGray code. Once again only one bit in the binary string changes as thecode sequence is traversed from code word to adjacent code word and inany set of three contiguous code words the two bits which change areneighbors. In this regard observe that only the middle bit changesbetween the code words for Track 1 and Track 2, while only the middleand right bits change between the code words for Track 1 and Track 3.Observe further that the leftmost bit of the Binary Track ID changesbetween Track Number 0 and Track Number 1 and that the rightmost bitchanges between Track Number 6 and Track Number 7. In this special caseno rows must be discarded when extending the code. By extending thesetwo simple skew-tolerant Gray codes a skew-tolerant Gray code of anyrequired length may be obtained. If the application requires askew-tolerant Gray code with an even number of bits, code generationstarts with the 2-bit skew-tolerant Gray code, conversely if theapplication requires a skew-tolerant Gray code with an odd number ofbits, code generation starts with the 3-bit skew-tolerant Gray code. Theprocedure for extending the code is the modified reflective constructionwhich is described above.

FIG. 6A illustrates the process of extending the 2-bit skew-tolerantGray code shown in FIG. 5A to form a 4-bit skew-tolerant Gray code. TheFIG. 6A table includes major columns labeled Track Number, OriginalTrack Number, Prefix Bit, Original Gray Code and Suffix Bit. Examiningthe code table shown in FIG. 5A one observes that the rightmost bitchanges between row 1 and row 2 thus M=3 in this example. The first 3rows of FIG. 5A are extended by adding a binary 0 to the beginning andend of the Binary Track ID to form the first 3 rows of the extendedcode. Next the first 3 rows of FIG. 5A are taken in reverse order andextended by adding a binary 0 to the beginning and a binary 1 to the endof the Binary Track ID to form rows 4 through 6 of the extended code.Then the first 3 rows of FIG. 5A are extended by adding a binary 1 tothe beginning and end of the Binary Track ID to form rows 7 through 9 ofthe extended code. Finally the first 3 rows of FIG. 5A are taken inreverse order and extended by adding a binary 1 to the beginning and abinary 0 to the end of the Binary Track ID to form the last 3 rows ofthe extended code. Now the last row is found in which the leftmost(prefix) bit is 0 and this row is labelled Track Number 0.

FIG. 6B tabulates the codeword entries for the 4-bit skew-tolerant Graycode that results from the process illustrated in FIG. 6A. This tablealso illustrates the properties of a skew-tolerant Gray code. In thisregard, observe that the code words for Track 4 and Track 5 differ onlyin the next-to-rightmost bit, while the code words for Track 4 and Track6 differ only in the rightmost two bits. Note also that since therightmost bit of the Binary Track ID changes between Track Number 9 andTrack Number 10 Track Number 11 will not be used when this code isextended to form a 6-bit skew-tolerant Gray code.

It is worth noting that given a single skew-tolerant Gray code a numberof entirely equivalent codes can be generated by applying one or more ofthe following transformations: the entire Binary Track ID column can beflipped top for bottom or left for right, each Binary Track ID can beadded modulo 2 (XORed) with a fixed binary string of the same length.

FIG. 7 tabulates the size of the Skew-Tolerant Gray Codes formed in thismanner. The FIG. 7 table includes major columns labeled Number of Bits,Number of Code words and Code Rate.

FIG. 8 illustrates the benefit of the Gray code property when the TrackID is read-back with the head straddling two tracks. The figure showsthe Track ID field (801) for a span of 64 tracks of a Gray coded TrackID with 12 bits. The bit number (802) and track number (803) areindicated and the two possible magnetic states of the medium are denotedas black and white. The path of the head across the Track ID field isindicated by a gray stripe (804) and the resulting read-back signal isshown (805). Where the Binary Track ID is different between the twotracks under the head the head will register a weak read-back dipulse(806). This weak dipulse (806) will be ambiguously detected. Because ofthe Gray code properties the two Binary Track IDs under the head differin only a single bit and thus there can be no more than one ambiguousdibit. The resulting ambiguity is thus restricted to only one of twopossible values and the position error signal information is sufficientto resolve this ambiguity.

FIG. 9A shows why the Gray code property is not sufficient to guaranteereliable detection if the head traverses the Track ID field at an angledue to high radial velocity during a seek. The figure shows the Track IDfield (801) for a span of 64 tracks of a Gray coded Track ID with 12bits. The bit number (802) and track number (803) are indicated and thetwo possible magnetic states of the medium are denoted as black andwhite. The path of the head across the Track ID field is indicated by agray stripe (904) and the resulting read-back signal is shown (905). Theradial velocity of the head is sufficient that as the head traverses theTrack ID field the head reads a portion of three distinct tracks. As aresult in some cases the read-back signal (905) shows two weak dibits(806). The resulting ambiguity cannot be resolved by the Position ErrorSignal and as a result the head position will at best be resolved onlyapproximately and, at worst may be resolved incorrectly.

FIG. 9B shows how the properties of a skew-tolerant Gray code guaranteereliable performance in this case. The figure shows the Track ID field(901) for a span of 64 tracks of a Gray coded Track ID with 12 bits. Thebit number (802) and track number (803) are indicated and the twopossible magnetic states of the medium are denoted as black and white.The path of the head across the Track ID field is indicated by a graystripe (904) and the resulting read-back signal is shown (915). Theradial velocity of the head is sufficient that as the head traverses theTrack ID field the head reads a portion of three distinct tracks.However in any neighborhood of a few bits the head reads no more thantwo tracks. Since the code property ensures that the bits which changeare located close to each other, there can still be no more than oneweak dibit (806) in the resulting read-back signal (915). The resultingambiguity is thus restricted to only one of two possible values,corresponding to neighboring tracks.

Generating Skew-Tolerant Gray Codes

With reference given to the modified reflective construction methoddescribed above for generating skew-tolerant Gray codes, recursivealgorithms for automating generation, encoding and decoding ofskew-tolerant Gray codes are given in Tables I, II, III, and IV andillustrated in corresponding FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. These tablesand figures represent software embodied as one or more programs ofinstructions which may be stored in storage media; they also representthe structure of a general purpose digital computer programmed with suchsoftware to perform the algorithms, and methods performed by suchcomputers. These tables and figures also represent special purposeprocessors or ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) devicesdesigned to execute these algorithms, and methods performed by suchdevices.

Generation of a table C containing a code sequence of n-bit code wordsis given in the pseudo-code representations of Table I, and isillustrated in FIG. 10A. TABLE I Generating a code sequence of n-bitskew-tolerant Gray code code words recursively INPUT: n, the number ofbits in each code word OUTPUT: C(n), an ordered list of n-bit code wordsif n is odd k=2 L=3 C = {0,1},{1,1},{1,0},{0,0} else, k=3 L=8 C ={1,1,0},{0,1,0},{0,0,0},{0,0,1},{0,1,1},{1,1,1},{1,0,1},{1,0,0} end ifwhile k not equal to n M = the first L code-words in the code table C W= the table M, modified by reversing the order of the code-words 0M0 = atable of L n-bit code-words formed by adding a zero at the beginning andthe end of each n-2 bit codeword in table M 0W1 = a table of L n-bitcode-words formed by adding a zero at the beginning and a one at the endof each n-2 bit codeword in table W 1M1 = a table of L n-bit code-wordsformed by adding a one at the beginning and the end of each n-2 bitcodeword in table M 1W0 = a table of L n-bit code-words formed by addinga one at the beginning and a zero at the end of each n-2 bit codeword intable W S = a table of 4L n-bit code-words formed by concatenating therows in tables 0M0, 0W1, 1M1 and 1W0 C = a table of 4L n-bit code-wordsformed by removing the last row from Table S and placing it above thefirst row k=k+2 L=3L+2 end whileOutput C

In Table I and FIG. 1A, a code sequence table M is generated for askew-tolerant Gray code having code words of length n. First, the numbern of co-ordinate positions (bits) is considered in decision 10010. If nis odd, k is initialized to a value of three, the L is initialized to avalue of eight, and the table C is initialized toC={1,1,0},{0,1,0},{0,0,0},{0,0,1},{0,1,1},{1,1,1},{1,0,1},{1,0,0} instep 10011. Otherwise, if n is even, k is initialized to a value of two,the L is initialized to a value of three, and the table C is initializedto C={0,1},{1,1},{1,0},{0,0}. Next, in decision, 10014, the value of kis tested against the value of n. If the values are equal, the positiveexit is taken from 10014 and C is returned as the skew-tolerant Graycode. Otherwise, the process enters step 10016, wherein a table M isformed from the first L code words in C. Once step 10016 is completed,three steps are initiated. In step 10018, a new table 0M0 is formed byadding zero at the beginning and end of each code word in M; in step10020, a new table 1M1 is formed by adding a one at the beginning andend of each code word in M; and in step 10022, a new table W is formedby reversing the order of the code words in M. Then, following step10022, two steps are initiated. In step 10024, a new table 0W1 is formedby adding a zero at the beginning and a one at the end of each code wordin W, while in step 10026, a new table 1W0 is formed by adding a one atthe beginning and a zero at the end of each code word in W. Step 10028uses the results of steps 10018, 10020, 10024, and 10026, concatenatingcorresponding rows of 0M0, 0W1, 1M1, and 1W0 to form a new table S.Then, in step 10030, S is converted to the table C by moving thebottom-most code word to the top row of the table, while the values of kand L are incremented. The process returns to decision 10014, exitingwith a code table C with an n-bit skew-tolerant Gray code if k=n, orotherwise looping through step 10016 et seq. until the condition in step10014 is satisfied.

Encoding and Decoding Skew-Tolerant Gray Codes

A code sequence table represents a mapping from integer values (rownumbers of the table) to strings of binary symbols (code-words in thenumbered rows). Encoding is the process of transforming an integer rownumber into a code word. Decoding is the process of transforming thecode word string into the row number. Single code words can be encodedand decoded efficiently without the necessity of constructing andsearching the entire code sequence table. The encoding and decodingalgorithms to be described rely on the special way the code sequencetable is constructed. In this section the operation of the encoding anddecoding algorithms is described in general terms. In later sections,Tables II, III and IV and corresponding FIGS. 10B, 10C and 10D are morespecifically described.

In the modified reflective construction described above for generating askew-tolerant code sequence table, each table is built by repeatedlyextending and enlarging a smaller codeword table. This process startswith a two (or three) bit codeword table and extends repeatedly byadding a bit at the beginning and end of each code-word. Because of theway the code sequence table is constructed, each code word can beconsidered to be comprised of a two (or three) bit root code word,extended by adding pairs of bits to the front and back of the code word.

Each code word is decoded by first decoding the root code word. Then byexamining the bits that extend the root code word the larger four (orfive) bit code word can be decoded. In the next step the processexamines the two bits which extend the larger four (or five) bit codeword and decodes the six (or seven) bit code word. Continuing to examineextension bits in this way the process decodes progressively larger codewords until finally it examines the outermost set of extension bits anddecodes the entire code word.

Recall the modified reflective construction as described in Table I andFIG. 10A. As the encoding and decoding algorithms are described,frequent reference will be made to tables M, W, S and C and these shouldbe understood to be the same code sequence tables described in Table Iand FIG. 10A. Similarly, reference will be made to quantities L and kwhich are also described in Table I and FIG. 10A. A process for decodinga skew-tolerant code word uses the table S, which has 4*L rows of codewords, each with k+2 bits and is formed by concatenating four smallertables 0M0, 0W1, 1M1, and 1W0 each with L rows. Now consider that theprocess has decoded the center k bits of the code word to find the rownumber p of this code word in table M. The two bits which extend thisk-bit code word to make the k+2 bit code word are then examined. Ifthese bits are {0,0} the process is in the first part of S and the rownumber of the k+2 bit code word in S is also p. If these bits are {0,1}the process is in the second part of S, in which the order of code wordsin M has been reversed to form W. If the row number of the k-bit codeword in M is p then the row number of the same code word in W must beL−p+1 and the row number of the k+2 bit code word in S must be 2*L−p−1.If these bits are {1,1}the process is in the third part of S and the rownumber of the k+2 bit code word in S is 2*L+p. Finally, if the extensionbits are {1,}the process is in the fourth part of S, in which the orderof code words in M has been reversed and the row number of the k+2 bitcode word in S must be 4*L−p−1. A code sequence table C is formed as acyclic shift of code-word table S. Thus if p′ is the row number of thek+2 bit code word in S then p′+1 is the corresponding row number of thek+2 bit code word in C unless the k+2 bit codeword is the last row of S(p′=4*L) in which case of the k+2 bit code word is the first row of C.The row number in C becomes the row number in M in the next step as theprocess examines the next pair of extension bits until the code word isdecoded.

The converse approach is used in a process to encode a code word,starting with the outermost extension bits and working inward until theroot code word is reached. Consider, for example that the process needsthe k+2 bit code word on row p′ of code-word table C. This correspondsto row p=p′−1 of table S (unless p′=1 in which case this corresponds torow p=4*L of S). Now, consider the case where p<=L, in which case theprocess is in the first part of S. Thus the first and last bits of thek+2 bit code word must be {0,0} and the inner k-bits are the pth row ofM. For the case where L<p<=2*L, the process is in the second part of S.Thus the first and last bits of the k+2 bit code word must be {0,1} andthe inner k-bits are the (p−L)th row of W which is the (2*L+1−p)th rowof M. For the case where 2*L<p<=3*L, the process is in the third part ofS. Thus the first and last bits of the k+2 bit code word must be {1,1}and the inner k-bits are the (p−2*L)th row of M. For the case where3*L<p<=4*L, the process is in the fourth part of S. Thus the first andlast bits of the k+2 bit code word must be {1,0} and the inner k-bitsare the (p−3*L)th row of W which is the (4*L+1−p)th row of M. It is nowthe case that the values of the outermost pair of extension bits areknown and that the row number of the inner k bits in M, the k-bitcode-word table, is known. The process continues by encoding this newrow number in that smaller code sequence table until k is small enough(two or three bits) that it can be encoded directly.

A recursive algorithm for automating calculation of L, the number ofcode words in a skew-tolerant Gray code C(n) is given in the pseudo-coderepresentation of Table II, and is illustrated in FIG. 10B. This valueplays a role in the encoding and decoding algorithms given below. TABLEII Computing the length of C(n) (needed for encoding and decoding)INPUT: n, the number of bits in each code-word OUTPUT: L(n), the numberof code-words in C(n) if n=1 return L(1) = 2 elseif n=2 return L(2) = 4elseif n odd a = 2; b = n−3; elseif n even a = 3; b = n−4; endif whileb>0 a = 3*a+2 b = b−2 end while return L(n) = 4*a

In Table II and FIG. 10B, the value of the parameter L is calculated. Inthis regard, L is the length of a code sequence in which the code wordshave n bits. That is to say, L is the number of code words in thesequence. The parameter L is used in the algorithms described below forencoding and decoding code words of a skew-tolerant Gray code.Initially, in decision 10040, the number n of co-ordinate positions(bits) is considered. For a one-bit and two-bit skew-tolerant Gray code,the values of L are simply pre-calculated and stored. Thus, if n=1, L=1is returned, and if n=2, L=2 is returned. If n>2, the positive exit istaken from decision 10040 and n is tested at 10042 for evenness. If n iseven, two recursion parameters, a and b, are initialized to first valuesin step 10044; if n is odd, the recursion parameters are initialized tosecond values in step 10046. Then, in decision 10048, for so long as bis non zero, the value of a is incremented and the value of b isdecremented in step 10050. When b reaches zero, the value of L iscalculated as L=4*a, and this value is returned.

An algorithm for generating a skew-tolerant Gray code word C_(m) (themth code word in a particular sequence) without the need to generate theentire table is set forth in Table III and shown in FIG. 10C. In theprocess which implements this algorithm, the first and last unresolvedbits are set to the first and last bits in the code word, i.e. i=0,j=n−1 in step 10060. The unresolved code word size is set to the entirecode word, i.e. k=n. The row number in the unresolved code word is setto the code word number, i.e. p=m. In decision 10062, the process testsif the number of unresolved bits is small enough to be encoded directly.If k<=3 the process can encode directly from the 1, 2 or 3 bit codesequence tables. In this case a tree of decision blocks selects thecorrect values for the root code word bits c(i) through c(j). If k>3 theprocess must encode a pair of extension bits in step 10064 to reduce thenumber of unresolved bits. The size (L) of the k-bit code sequence tablemust be determined. This can be calculated using the method described inthe pseudo-code representation of Table II, and is illustrated in FIG.10B. The k-bit code sequence table is comprised of four equal-sizedsections of size L. The value of L is set to one quarter of the size ofthe k-bit code sequence table. The process then decrements the rownumber p to reflect the cyclic shift of the codeword table when C isobtained from S in Table I and FIG. 10A. If the decremented value isless than 0 then it is wrapped around to 4*L−1, i.e. the process setsp=mod((p−−1),4*L). The process then computes divide p by L and sets q tothe quotient and p to the remainder, i.e., q=floor(p/L), p=p−q*L. Atthis point q indicates in which section of table S the desired row liesand p gives the position of the desired row within that section. Now,depending upon the section of S which is indicated by q the process setsthe extension bits to {0,0},{0,1},{1,1},{1,0} when q=0,1,2,3respectively. If the desired row lies in the second or fourth section(q=1 or q=3) then the process modifies p to reflect that the order ofthe code words of M are reversed in this section, i.e. p=L−p−1. Now thattwo extension bits have been determined the process moves the pointersto the unresolved bits in and reduces the number of unresolved bits bytwo, i.e. i=i+1, j=j−1 and k=k−2. This procedure is repeated until k<=3and the root codeword can be encoded directly. TABLE III EncoderGenerates a single of n-bit code-word INPUT: n, the number of bits ineach code-word m, the ordinal number of the required codeword OUTPUT:C_(m)(n), the m-th codeword in the table of C(n) initialize c as anarray of n bits c(0) through c(n−1) i = 0 j = n−1 k = n p = m while k>3L = 0.25* number of rows in C(k) p = mod((p−1),4*L) q = floor(p/L) p =p−q*L switch q case q = 0 c(i) = 0 c(j) = 0 case q = 1 p = L−p−1 c(i) =0 c(j) = 1 case q = 2 c(i) = 1 c(j) = 1 case q = 3 p = L−p−1 c(i) = 1c(j) = 0 end switch i = i+1 j = j−1 k = k−2 end while switch k case k=1c(i) = p case k=2 switch p case p =0 c(i) = 0 c(j) = 1 case p =1 c(i) =1 c(j) = 1 case p =2 c(i) = 1 c(j) = 0 case p =3 c(j) = 0 c(i) = 0 endswitch p case k=3 switch p case p =0 c(i) = 0 c(i+1) = 1 c(j) = 1 case p=1 c(i) = 1 c(i+1) = 1 c(j) = 1 case p =2 c(i) = 1 c(i+1) = 0 c(j) = 1case p =3 c(i) = 1 c(i+1) = 0 c(j) = 0 case p =4 c(i) = 1 c(i+1) = 1c(j) = 0 case p =5 c(i) = 0 c(i+1) = 1 c(j) = 0 case p =6 c(i) = 0c(i+1) = 0 c(j) = 0 case p =7 c(i) = 0 c(i+1) = 0 c(j) = 1 end switch pend switch k return c

An algorithm for decoding a single skew-tolerant Gray code word is setforth in Table IV and shown in FIG. 10D. A decoding process implementingthis algorithm tests the number of bits in codeword C in step 10080. Ifthe number of bits is even, a two-bit mother code is utilized. In thiscase, the center two bits are decoded directly using a tree of decisionblocks to obtain the row number p of the root codeword. The size of thenext largest codeword table is set to 4, i.e. k=4. If the number of bitsis odd, a three-bit mother code is utilized. In this case the centerthree bits are decoded directly using a tree of decision blocks toobtain the row number p of the root codeword. The size of the nextlargest codeword table is set to 5, i.e. k=5.

In step 10084, the next extension bit locations are set to the bitsadjacent to the root codeword, i.e., i=floor(n/2)−1 and j=n=i+1.

In decision 10086, the process tests whether all bits have already beendecoded by checking the location of the next leading extension bit. Ifi=0 the process returns p as the decoded row number. If i>0 the processdecodes the next pair of extension bits as described below.

The process must determine the size (L) of the k-bit codeword table.This can be calculated using the method described in the pseudo-coderepresentation of Table II, and is illustrated in FIG. 10B. The k-bitcode-word table is comprised of four equal-sized sections of size L. Instep 10088, L is set to one quarter of the size of the k-bit codewordtable.

It is known that p is the row number of the central k−2 bits in the k−2bit code-word table. The process now tests the pair of extension bitsand updates p to be the row number of the central k bits in the k-bitcode-word table. The process then starts by finding the row number ofthe central k bits in the k-bit table S. If the pair of extension bitsare {0,0}, the process is in the first section of the codeword table Sand need not modify p. If the pair of extension bits are {0,1}, theprocess is in the second section of the codeword table S and setsp=2*L−p−1 in step 10090. If the pair of extension bits are {1,1}, theprocess is in the third section of the codeword table S and sets p=2*L+pin step 10092. If the pair of extension bits are {1,0}, the process isin the fourth section of the codeword table S and sets p=4 L−p−1 in step10094. The row number is now modified in step 10096 to reflect thecyclic shift from S to C, i.e. p=mod((p+1),4*L). At this point the rownumber of the central k bits in the k-bit code-word table C has beendecoded. Now that the k-bit codeword has been decoded the pointers tothe extension bits are moved out and the size of the extended codewordis increased by two, i.e. i=i−1, j=j+1 and k=k+2. This procedure untili=0 and the entire codeword has been decoded. TABLE IV decoder: decodesa single n-bit code-word INPUT: c, a single n-bit code word, with n thenumber of bits in each code word OUTPUT: p, the ordinal number of c n =the number of bits in c 1=floor(n/2) if n is odd, Use 3 bit mother code,Select the middle 3 bits as the mother codeword i = (n−1)/2 k = 5 ifc(i) = 0 if c(i+1) = 0 if c(i+2) = 0 p=6 else p=7 end if else if c(i+2)= 0 p=5 else p=0 end if end if else if c(i+1) = 0 if c(i+2) = 0 p=3 elsep=2 end if else if c(i+2) = 0 p=4 else p=1 end if end if end if else Ifn is even use 2 bit mother code, Select the middle 2 bits as the mothercodeword i = n/2 k = 4 if c(i) = 0 if c(i+1) = 0 p=3 else p=0 end ifelse if c(i+1) = 0 p=2 else p=1 end if end if end if i = floor(n/2)−1; j= n−i+1; while i>0 L = 0.25*number of rows in C(k) if c(i)=0 if c(j)=1 p= 2*L−p−1 end if else if c(j)=0 p = 4*L−p−1 else p = 2*L+p end if end ifp = mod((p+1),4*L); i = i−1; j = j+i; k = k+2 end while return p

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an exemplary decoder for decoding anine-bit code word. The decoder represents the specific instance of theflow diagram of FIG. 10D for which n=9. The decoder includes a register1100 with nine storage locations in which a sensed skew-tolerant Graycode pattern of nine bits is received. A first multiplexer 1102 hascontrol inputs connected to the three central storage locations of theregister 1100 and has a data input connected to data storage containingan eight-row table 1103 in which each row contains a table row number(p) indexed by a three-bit root code word. A second multiplexer 1104 hascontrol inputs connected to the two storage locations immediatelypreceding and following the central storage locations (“the firstextension”) and has a data input connected to data storage containing afour-row table 1105 in which each row contains a sign and an offsetvalue indexed by a two-bit extension. The second multiplexer 1104 hastwo outputs; the first for providing the value of the sign and thesecond for providing the value of the offset in the row indexed in thetable 1105 by the current value of the first extension. A thirdmultiplexer 1106 has control inputs connected to the two storagelocations immediately preceding and following the first extensionlocations (“the second extension”) and has a data input connected todata storage containing a four-row table 1107 in which each row containsa sign and an offset value indexed by a two-bit extension. The thirdmultiplexer 1106 has two outputs; the first for providing the value ofthe sign and the second for providing the value of the offset in the rowindexed in the table 1107 by the current value of the second extension.A fourth multiplexer 1108 has control inputs connected to the twostorage locations immediately preceding and following the secondextension locations (“the third extension”) and has a data inputconnected to data storage containing a four-row table 1109 in which eachrow contains a sign and an offset value indexed by a two-bit extension.The fourth multiplexer 1108 has two outputs; the first for providing thevalue of the sign and the second for providing the value of the offsetin the row indexed in the table 1109 by the current value of the thirdextension. An arithmetic unit 1110 has a first input connected to theoutput of the first multiplexer 1102, a second input connected to thefirst output of the second multiplexer, and an output for providing theproduct of the p value read from the table 1103 and the sign read fromthe second table 1105. An arithmetic unit 1112 has a first inputconnected to the output of the arithmetic unit 1110, a second inputconnected to the second output of the second multiplexer 1104, and anoutput for providing the sum of a product produced by the arithmeticunit 1110 and the offset value read from the second table 1105. Anarithmetic unit 1114 has an input connected to the output of thearithmetic unit 1112 and an output for providing a remainder having thevalue of the sum produced by the arithmetic unit 1112 mod 32. Anarithmetic unit 1116 has a first input connected to the output of thearithmetic unit 1114, a second input connected to the first output ofthe third multiplexer 1106, and an output for providing the product ofthe remainder produced by the arithmetic unit the 1114 and the sign readfrom the third table 1107. An arithmetic unit 1118 has a first inputconnected to the output of the arithmetic unit 1116, a second inputconnected to the second output of the third multiplexer 1106, and anoutput for providing the sum of a product produced by the arithmeticunit 1116 and the offset value read from the third table 1107. Anarithmetic unit 1120 has an input connected to the output of thearithmetic unit 1118 and an output for providing a remainder having thevalue of the sum produced by the arithmetic unit 1118 mod 104. Anarithmetic unit 1122 has a first input connected to the output of thearithmetic unit 1120, a second input connected to the first output ofthe fourth multiplexer 1108, and an output for providing the product ofthe remainder produced by the arithmetic unit the 1120 and the sign readfrom the fourth table 1109. An arithmetic unit 1124 has a first inputconnected to the output of the arithmetic unit 1122, a second inputconnected to the second output of the fourth multiplexer 1108, and anoutput for providing the sum of a product produced by the arithmeticunit 1122 and the offset value read from the fourth table 1109. Anarithmetic unit 1126 has an input connected to the output of thearithmetic unit 1124 and an output for providing a remainder having thevalue of the sum produced by the arithmetic unit 1124 mod 320.

The decoder of FIG. 11 operates as follows. First, the nine bits sensedby a sensor array are read corresponding storage locations of theregister 1100. The multiplexers effectively divide the nine bits intofour sets. The center three bits are denoted as the root code word andthen bits are paired off on either side as first, second, and thirdextensions. The root code word is decoded first to obtain a value forthe parameter p. Then, the extensions successively modify the value of pby determining a sign and an offset. The sign is a single bit and theoffset is an integer whose binary value comprises no more than ninebits. A sign modifies the value of p before an offset is added, and theresult is normalized by division mod x. The output of the decoder is amodified value of p that is used to look up a code word in a nine-bit,skew-tolerant Gray code sequence.

FIG. 12 illustrates how a skew-tolerant Gray code pattern 1201 permitsthe path of a sensor array across the pattern to be localized in boththe cross-track and down-track directions. Any sensor alignment 1202across the pattern 1201 will register the same pattern of values,represented in the figure as light and dark bands, provided it lieswithin the region described by the pair of shaded triangles 1203 a and1203 b. Thus, one can associate the code word corresponding to thepattern of values within the composite shaded region 1203 a and 1203 b,or more concretely, with the hatched region 1204 at the apices of theshaded regions 1203 a and 1203 b. That is, for each code word, one canidentify a small region in the array of the pattern 1201 that the sensorarray must have passed through. In the field of hard disk drives, thisis a useful property since, by locating a head precisely in twosuccessive servo fields, an accurate estimate of head velocity can bemade.

FIG. 13 shows one procedure for finding the region 1204 of FIG. 6.First, the code word is decoded using the procedure of FIG. 10D in step1302. Then in step 1304, neighboring code words are found using themethod of FIG. 10C. These three code words differ only in a pair ofadjacent bits. The sensor must have been over the track corresponding tothe detected code word for this pair of bits. The bit pair is found instep 1306 by the exclusive-OR combination of the neighboring code wordsand the bit pair effectively identifies a region (“on-track mask E”) onetrack wide and two bits long that the sensor must have passed over.

Although the invention has been described with reference to thepresently preferred embodiment, it should be understood that variousmodifications can be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the followingclaims.

1. A combination for indicating a position, comprising: a moveableobject a surface of the object; and a sequence of skew-tolerant Graycoded marks on the object which are perceptible at the surface.
 2. Thecombination of claim 1, wherein: the sequence of skew-tolerant Graycoded marks corresponds to a sequence of code words of a skew-tolerantGray code in which each code word has a plurality of co-ordinatepositions; and in each consecutive group of three code words, the firstand third code words differ only in two adjacent co-ordinate positions.3. The combination of claim 2, wherein: the object is for moving to asequence of positions corresponding to the sequence of skew-tolerantGray coded marks; a plurality of the marks at each position of thesequence of positions; and each plurality of skew-tolerant marks at eachposition corresponding to a respective code word of the sequence ofskew-tolerant code words.
 4. The combination of claim 3, wherein themoveable object is a rotatable disk.
 5. The combination of claim 4,wherein the skew-tolerant Gray coded marks are perceptible to a magneticread head.
 6. The combination of claim 3, wherein the object is arotatable shaft.
 7. The combination of claim 6, wherein theskew-tolerant Gray coded marks are perceptible to an optical sensor. 8.A combination for indicating a position, comprising: a moveable object;a surface of the object; and a sequence of n-bit code words on theobject which are perceptible at the surface for indicating a position ofthe object; the sequence of n-bit code words forming a skew-tolerantGray code in which any code word of the sequence of code words differsfrom an adjacent code word in only one bit position, and in which, forany group of three consecutive code words, the first and third codewords differ in only two adjacent bit positions.
 9. The combination ofclaim 8, wherein: the object is for moving to a sequence of positionscorresponding to the sequence of code words; and a respective code wordof the sequence of code words at each position of the sequence ofpositions.
 10. The combination of claim 9, wherein the moveable objectis a rotatable disk.
 11. The combination of claim 10, wherein theskew-tolerant Gray coded code words are perceptible to a magnetic readhead.
 12. The combination of claim 9, wherein the object is a rotatableshaft.
 13. The combination of claim 12, wherein the skew-tolerant Graycoded code words are perceptible to an optical sensor.
 14. A device forstoring information, comprising: a rotatable disk with two sides; aplurality of radially-displaced tracks on at least one side of the diskfor receiving information for storage; at least one servo sector on theat least one side of the disk extending across the tracks; and asequence of n-bit code words in the at least one servo sector, each codeword for identifying a respective track of the plurality of tracks; thesequence of n-bit code words forming a skew-tolerant Gray code in whichany code word of the sequence of code words differs from an adjacentcode word in only one bit position, and in which, for any group of threeconsecutive code words, the first and third code words differ in onlytwo adjacent bit positions.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein: thedisk is for rotating to a sequence of positions corresponding to thesequence of code words; and a respective code word of the sequence ofcode words at each position of the sequence of positions.
 16. The deviceof claim 15, wherein the skew-tolerant Gray coded code words areperceptible to a magnetic read head.
 17. A device for storinginformation, comprising: a rotatable disk with two sides; a plurality ofradially-displaced tracks on each side of the disk for receivinginformation for storage; at least one servo sector on each side of thedisk extending across the tracks on the side of the disk; and a sequenceof n-bit code words in the at least one servo sector on each side of thedisk, each code word for identifying a respective track of the pluralityof tracks on the side of the disk; each sequence of n-bit code wordsforming a skew-tolerant Gray code in which any code word of the sequenceof code words differs from an adjacent code word in only one bitposition, and in which, for any group of three consecutive code words,the first and third code words differ in only two adjacent bitpositions.
 18. The device of claim 17, wherein: the disk is for rotatingto a sequence of positions corresponding to the sequence of code words;and a respective code word of the sequence of code words at eachposition of the sequence of positions.
 19. The device of claim 18,wherein the skew-tolerant Gray coded code words are perceptible to amagnetic read head.
 20. A disk drive, comprising: one or more rotatabledisks; a plurality of radially-displaced tracks on each disk forreceiving information for storage; at least one servo sector on eachdisk extending across the tracks on the disk; a sequence of n-bit codewords in each servo sector of each disk, each code word for identifyinga respective track of the plurality of tracks on the disk; the sequenceof n-bit code words forming a skew-tolerant Gray code in which any codeword of the sequence of code words differs from an adjacent code word inonly one bit position, and in which, for any group of three consecutivecode words, the first and third code words differ in only two adjacentbit positions; and at least one transducer associated with each disk forproducing readback signals in response the code words; read/writeelectronics connected to each transducer for producing servo informationin response to the readback signals; and servo electronics connected tothe read/write electronics for decoding code words of the sequence ofcode words from the servo information.
 21. The disk drive of claim 20,wherein: each disk is for rotating to a sequence of radial positionscorresponding to the sequence of code words; and a respective code wordof the sequence of code words at each position of the sequence ofpositions.